2002 World Team Trials preview for 67 kg in women's freestyle wrestling
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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
06/15/2002
The 2001 FILA International Women's Wrestler of the Year was Toccara Montgomery of the Sunkist Kids, who claimed a World silver medal and dominated most of her opponents all season. Montgomery, now a freshman at Cumberland College, continues to excel, winning her second straight U.S. Nationals title and Outstanding Wrestler award this spring. Her combination of power, speed, confidence and creativity makes Montgomery tough to handle at any level. In the U.S. Nationals final this year, she scored an impressive 12-1 technical fall over Katie Downing of UM-Morris, including a double leg attack that she launched into the most impressive five-point throw in the history of the Women's Nationals. This was against Downing, a past Junior World medalist and a 2001 Women's World Cup champion, also one of the world's best young talents. Downing has battled Montgomery many times in recent seasons, often in the gold-medal finals of events. Both of these athletes will have to change weight divisions if they wish to make the 2004 Olympic team. Which way will they go? Many believe Montgomery might drop to 138.75, while Downing might choose to go up to 158.5. Will they make the move this year, or later down the road? Only time will tell. Today, in her TheMat.com interview, Montgomery confirmed that she is aiming for 138.75 pounds for this year's World Team Trials, which would throw this weight up for grabs. There is a drop off in experience in this division after the Montgomery and Downing. Placing third in Las Vegas was Lisa Bisers, a freshman at Johns Hopkins Univ. who has been a U.S. Nationals bronze medalist for two straight years. Bisers did not wrestle any other women's freestyle events this season beside the U.S. Nationals. Placing fourth was Brandy Golt, a freshman at Missouri Valley College who has shown improvement during the college season. Veteran Cindy Herceg of Spartak placed fifth at the U.S. Nationals, with Mollie Keith of Missouri Valley College taking sixth. Also qualifying for the World Team Trials in Las Vegas were Jimi-Dawn Hornbuckle of NLWC, who was seventh, and Stephanie Bolton of Cumberland College, who placed eighth. Hornbuckle is a veteran and a former U.S. Nationals champion, who may consider dropping down a weight division. The rest of the field is still young and learning the sport at this level. This weight class shapes up as an anticipated battle between Montgomery and Downing, unless one of them decides to change weight class. It also provides an opportunity for a young talent to step up and make a name for herself. 67 kg (147.5 lbs.) qualifiers National champion - Toccara Montgomery, Cleveland, Ohio (Sunkist Kids) U.S. Nationals #2 - Katie Downing, Pendleton, Ind. (UM-Morris) U.S. Nationals #3 - Lisa Bisers, Baltimore, Md. U.S. Nationals #4 - Brandy Golt, Chesapeake, Va. (Missouri Valley) U.S. Nationals #5 - Cindy Herceg, Los Angeles, Calif. (Spartak) U.S. Nationals #6 -Mollie Keith, Aurelia, Iowa (Missouri Valley) U.S. Nationals # 7- Jimi-Dawn Hornbuckle, State College, Pa. (NLWC) U.S. Nationals #8 - Stephanie Bolton, Honolulu, Hawaii (Cumberland College) Women's Freestyle criteria: 1. Top eight at the 2002 Senior National Championships; 2. Current National Team Member - Top three; 3. Top three Finisher in a FILA A Championship in the past three years, including the Pan Ams, but not Sunkist; 4. 2002 University National Champion; 5. Past World Team Member; 6. 2002 Regional Tournament Champion from the Northeast and Northern Plains Regionals; 7. Medalist at Junior World Championships in the past two years Note 1: Some athletes qualified in more than one way, although just one is noted in this list. Note 2: Other wrestlers who meet qualifying criterion may identify themselves, and will be added to this list leading up to the event. Some of the anticipated qualifiers may choose not to attend. Starting on May 30, TheMat.com will feature a daily interview with one of the 2002 U.S. Nationals champions, as well as a preview of that weight class for the upcoming World Team Trials, set for Saint Paul, Minn., June 21-23. Visit TheMat.com daily to read about America's best international athletes and learn about the exciting action expected at this year's World Team Trials.